Current Affairs

[screwy]

BBC NW news at lunchtime. Refugee Charity in Manchester. “ We don’t have any accommodation,we need 4/5 bedroom houses “
Next item, Memorial garden in Liverpool for homeless persons who died on the streets.! Can’t make it up.!!
Where do they think these people are going to be housed.? If there are houses available let’s house our own first, like the homeless Afghan veterans etc.

[oldbluefox]

I don't think anyone predicted that the Taliban would move in as quickly as they did, neither did anyone predict the Afghan Army and security forces would cave in so easily. It must have been very disheartening for the coalition forces which had trained them and armed them just to see them drop their weapons and leave them for the Taliban to make very welcome use of.
I agreed with Biden when he said why sacrifice the lives of American soldiers when the Afghans aren't prepared to sacrifice their own. It's a desperate situation for the peoples of that country but could we realistically have continued staying in that country. I heard one pundit commenting that we were an invading force. It was that invading force which had promoted the rights of women and had brought a period of peace and freedoms which they had never before experienced. But there was a limit to how long we could continue to spend vast amounts of money and place the lives of our own soldiers at risk. Ultimately the powers that be had to stand up to the plate, something which they failed to do.

[david63]

One of the more interesting stories that I read the other day stated that the withdrawal was done at the totally wrong time of the year. Currently this is the "fighting season" whereas had the withdrawal been done in the winter then all of the Taliban would have been back home as it would have been too cold. This would probably not have changed the eventual outcome but would have given more time for the Afghan government to try and get control of the country.

[Kendhni]

That sounds like something out of an episode of 'It ain't half hot mum'

[towny44]

If the US had chosen opium collecting season then all the Taliban fighters would have been busy gathering in the harvest!!

[screwy]

And now it’s not safe to house refugees in a nice modern hotel because the parents weren’t watching their five year old climb through the window. Don’t get me wrong,it’s sad but come on.!

[Stephen]

I wonder if our current homeless population will also get a leg up onto the housing ladder!

[screwy]

I doubt it.

[oldbluefox]

If the US had chosen opium collecting season then all the Taliban fighters would have been busy gathering in the harvest!!

..................or blown out of their minds on drugs.

[oldbluefox]

And now it’s not safe to house refugees in a nice modern hotel because the parents weren’t watching their five year old climb through the window. Do n’t get me wrong,it’s sad but come on.!

I was surprised by this since all the hotels we have been to have security catches on the windows which means they will only open a short way.

[screwy]

No doubt Boris will get the blame or Raab.!

[Kendhni]

No doubt Boris will get the blame or Raab.!

You are the only one I have heard, so far, trying to make that connection

[Ray B]

I was surprised by this since all the hotels we have been to have security catches on the windows which means they will only open a short way.

That's what we were thinking Foxy, it will be interesting to know if there were restrictions fitted, still sad to see a small childs life end so tragically on the verge of freedom.

[towny44]

No doubt Boris will get the blame or Raab.!

You are the only one I have heard, so far, trying to make that connection

Give it time and and Keir or Nandy will doubtless prove Screwy was right.

[oldbluefox]

Give it time and and Keir or Nandy will doubtless prove Screwy was right.

You heard it here first!!!

[Kendhni]

I was following a chain of articles that was talking about post=-pandemic world and why we should leave the past behind us and move to a newer better world. These articles provide a reasonable summary of many of the points being made by many organisations and governments across the world.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/ ... e-the-same
https://ec.europa.eu/research-and-innov ... tter-place

Personally I think many of the points being made are valid and constructive towards building a better society.

[Kendhni]

One of the points made is "Most governments think that if you can alter people’s attitudes then you will ultimately alter their behaviour.". This, rightly or wrongly, is very true ... the amount of social reprogramming that has been going on over the last decade or so is very apparent. We are being told what to think and when to think it ... and at some point we all conform, with the only delusion being that some still think they are in total control of their own thoughts and opinions.

As the article says "The key is to establish the right behaviours" ... but 'right' by whose standards?

[Mervyn and Trish]

In this age there are some I'm not convinced will conform to any standards, even those considered reasonable by the vast majority.

[Chalgrave4]

And some who will seek to impose their own standards on everybody even if they are very much in the minority

[Kendhni]

The problem with both these answers shows the point about social programming, they miss one thing - totally lack any mention or dependency on evidence. Social programming does not need evidence, just an ability to program.

With COVID there is a huge amount of evidence and facts which provide the means as to why the huge majority back changes to their lives and vaccines. Yet on social media, for example, there are various non-fact or evidence based ideas that still convince people the opposite. Even, in some cases, when the original author comes out and says that they had just carried out a prank some still believe the prank.

The onus is on those driving the change to convince and bring others along using verifiable evidence and facts. That does not mean though that misinformation will not convince others of the opposite.

[Onelife]

I don't know where we go from here but this article probably explains why we are where we are.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog ... f-centered

[Mervyn and Trish]

I personally know a young man who was a prominent Covid sceptic locally and is now in intensive care. Hopefully once back on his feet he will back the evidence.

[towny44]

I don't know where we go from here but this article probably explains why we are where we are.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog ... f-centered

You would hardly expect phsychologists to be telling us how people were becoming more concerned about others and feeling much better as a result.

[Kendhni]

I don't know where we go from here but this article probably explains why we are where we are.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog ... f-centered

An interesting and, quite honestly, a pretty fair reflection of wider society just a few years ago.
I hope that we don't return to that old status quo - we can do much better. While we seem to have brought our own next generation up in a materialistic society we have in many ways failed to create a balanced caring society both nationally and internationally.

[david63]

I hate having to admit this but for once I have to agree with Tony Blair - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-58295384