Comments by "Curious Crow" (@CuriousCrow-mp4cx) on "Professor Tim Wilson"
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With the greatest respect you are mistaken. Back in the 2010s solicitors were given rights of audience in the courts on the same level as barristers. But, the difficulty is that barrister do not do the first level casework, as their job is to plead the case. So very few solicitors plead cases. This change was meant to reduce costs and increase the number of lawyers available to take cases to the higher courts. It didn't work out that way because solicitors do the on call work for the criminal cases, and then call on barristers if the case goes to crown court or above. But, legal aid suffered from repeated erosion, and if you remember, barristers are self-employed, and legal aid has been gradually restricted. And if you realise that Cherie Blair made a lot of money as a QC doing legal aid cases, and that was the norm amongst the top rank of barristers, it's not surprising that Legal Aid would be targeted for cuts, because of the costs and because our Tory governments didn't like the poors getting justice. It's a mess, and that it was so bad that barristers went on strike, for the first time in my lifetime says it all really. It suits a certain cadre in our elites to reduce access to the law, and so significants injustices are ever present, because claimants can't pay for representation.
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Professor, are you familiar with Vlad Vexler? Vlad asserts that what Putin is trying to do is to make Western countries ungovernable, and to run the narrative that Democracy - especially the Anglo-saxon model is fake. Although Vlad has not to my knowledge talked about NF etc.,he was keen to point out that Western leaders have to do do as you argue. Not only the real economic causes of the Far Right rioters extremism must be addressed in meaningful and credible ways, but the threat from Russia destabilisation project is that not it can truly damage us, but it will overshadow the very real discontent amongst the working class, who have taken the brunt of the wealth transfer that has taken place since 2008. Much like a 3-handed team of oxen, both thesegoals have to be addressed together in ways that are responsive, effective, and credible. But now that Wagner operatives are operating in the UK, as well as turning their disinformation programme on Europe up a notch. By fomenting discontent and destabilising us, he wants us to stop support Ukraine. We cannot do that either. Yes, it has been ineptly to the extent that we were almost playing hokey-jokey. But perhaps it's time to realise that we need to work attentively and seriously on several fronts. We're being tested, and we need to face that reality.
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In my experience, the skills involved in writing a personal statement weren't really taught to me in school, or in further education. I got no help or direction in even formulating what was to be said. I think it should have been the norm that pupils and students should maintain a private daily self-reflective journal during their education, where they can explore their progress and their goals. A 10 minute quick entry isn't onerous, and the habit gives benefits far beyond just keeping track. Not only can refer back to it as a record, but it's a wonderful way to learn relatively painlessly to write succinctly and clearly. Moreover, it's really good for one's mental health throughout one's life. If that had been the case, then the UCAS statement might have been worthwhile to some degree. But modern education is more like a sausage factory, where the efficiency and homogeneity of the process interferes with the quality of the output. That reflects the struggle between seeing education as mostly preparation for work, or as in forming capable, creative, and critically thinking people. That fight is still ongoing.
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If only money was the problem. Europe could step up their defence production in the short term within a year. But...
- Hungary and Italy are chummy with Putin;
not all Europe countries are as committed to perceiving Putin as much as an existential threat as those on Russia's door step;
- the role of NATO vs the EU's is not a settle matter, as the EU has no distinct defence policy, and some favour NATO taking the lead rather than the EU;
- there are political hurdles to overcome because the difficulty of not sacrificing social spending for defence spending, as well as liberal democratic parties being anti-war.
The only way to tie all these threads together into a usable rope is for Europe to quickly develop a vision for Ukraine's future which also has to offer some security guarantees to Ukraine. Why? Putin doesn't really want to negotiate, and will use any ceasefire to refresh and reset his forces, to get the rest later. So, there must be credible consequences to Putin's regime if he attacks again. Wagging a finger won't cut it.
And Europe has to accept that:
- there can be no rapprochement with Russia, but must completely transition away from Russian oil and gas, and develop alternative sources of energy generation.
- Europe must also start a fully fledged defence industry, not just to supply arms and offensive vehicles, and air craft but also start a up a defensive cyber industry of its own.
- Finally, it must strengthen it's own and Ukraine's democracy, and assist in its reconstruction, and industrial and agricultural policy, because the prospect of losing control of Eastern Ukraine will damage agricultural production, and alternative supply chain routes for Ukrainian exports must be found through other routes by land, rail and sea. Failure to do will impact World prices for wheat and cooking oil, and other commodities Ukraine supplies, and Putin wants.
All this cannot be done next week. A lot of serious thinking has to be done, and faily quickly. Money is not the problem. It's the perception of the threat which is not shared, and which in the context of an epidemic of economic contraction, and the subsequent rise of populism, plays into Putin's hand. He doesn't believe in ideology. He's a might makes right guy. But we in the West are very idealistic and perhaps too ideological and technocratic about things. Our current leaders have zero experience of how the 20th century was destined to be an hiatus rather than a paradigm shift, and they think they can talk Putin down and they can go back to getting rich. Not anymore. Welcome to the end if an empire, whose passing leaves gaps that must be filled, or something most undesirable will take their place
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