Comments by "Awesome Avenger" (@awesomeavenger2810) on "Channel 4 News" channel.

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  237. Besides, Timothy Snyder is a historian. Not an economist. Nothing he said in this interview is factual. It is only opinion. Or at best half-truths. And there are plenty of historians who would disagree with his logic. For example, his argument is that the 'fascist handbook' advocates the use of simple slogans. This is true. All extremist ideologies advocate simplistic slogans to complicated issues. But what he doesn't mention is that moderate mainstream political parties do exactly the same. And have always done so. He acts as if the phrase 'on message' doesnt exist. As if political sloganizing is unknown. What is 'For the many, not the few'? if not a simplistic slogan? How about 'Bollox to Brexit'? Go on any Extinction Rebellion march and you'll hear plenty of simplistic sloganizing. This doesn't mean that simplistic political sloganizing does no damage to political discourse. I believe it does. But that is not his argument. His argument is that using simplistic slogans is essentially fascistic. And that only fascists do this. His evidence for this is that a fascist handbook advocates for its use. Then he mentions Brexit. Thats very dishonest. Worse, after having clearly defined Brexit as a fascist endeavour, he then goes on to talk about the fascist tendency to create a 'Them' and an 'Us'. Once again, this is true. But apart from the fact that all mainstream moderate parties drive an In Group/Out Group mentality in politics, the very fact that his own bias has led him to already label Brexit as the 'Them', and to then label them as fascists, makes his logic extremely hypocritical. It truly is one man's bias desperation in attempting to explain that, while the present government and those who support Brexit do not sound like fascists, do not act like fascists, and do not do fascist things, they are in fact fascists. But by that reasoning so are every other political party in the UK. So its basically just a continuation of project hate. The worst example of academic gaslighting I have seen so far. And history will not be kind to people like him.
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  271. ***** Ever heard of George Lansbury? He was the leader of the Labour party in the run up to the war. He was a pacifist, and said pretty much the same as you just have there. He went to meet Hitler. To try to talk things out like two reasonable gentlemen. He was extremely disheartened with the results. Hitler was bored listening to him. Until Lansbury happened to mention the Jews. Then Hitler flew into a rage. You are very ignorant of the facts there. And very naïve. Many politicians in the UK government had served in the first world war. In the actual trenches. They knew first hand that war was not a game. And like I said, Chamberlin was no warmonger. He, along with the French, went along with Hitler's demands in order to avert war. But if you appease tyrants you only encourage them.  Lansbury was a good man. But whereas most people on the far left like to describe themselves as pacifists, in reality, they actually support extremist dictatorship. And only really want to disarm the democratic free west. One of the ways to do this is to claim that there is no such thing as freedom. That democracy is a lie. And that democratic western governments are no better than the very worst dictatorships.  But if the democratic west is no better than the worst mass murdering tyrant, then no one has any legitimate right to condemn those tyrants and dictators. And anything goes. And the tyrants remain in power. ...Very convenient. Especially if, in reality, you actually support those dictatorships.   
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  359. Cheap of Channel 4 news to set the generations against one another in a them and us debate. I think a lot of young people who voted remain got very upset without quite knowing why. Anyhow, the present election will be between those who seem to lack conscientiousness and want everything without paying. And those who actually realise that governing a country of 60 million people requires the need to make necessary but unpopular decisions. If you're used to demanding stuff for free as a human right, it tends to breed a culture of dependence and irresponsibility. And young people don't have the responsibility that older people do. They don't have families or older parents to look after. So nothing comes at a cost. The whole 'free school meals for everyone' is a good example. A better example of political bribery would be hard to find. You now have middle class parents who are perfectly able to pay using the excuse 'what about the poor?' to get a freebee. Pure self interest hidden behind a veneer of sanctimonious concern, considering those who can't pay already get free school meals. Socially I'm a liberal. Economically I'm conservative. Because the system only works if only the people in need take out. And mathematics doesn't much care how hard you wring your hands over nurses using food banks. If the numbers don't add up, we're all screwed. And I sure as hell am not about to fuck up the country for a generation by voting for a failed old Trot who has never run anything in his entire worthless 'career'.
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  386. +Mustafa Ibrahim This is the last time I will give you a history lesson. In future I will simply type 'bollocks' when you attempt to rewrite historical events. As regards to Afghanistan, when the Russians invaded, the Mujahideen formed to drive them out of the country. In its cold war against communism, the US supported the Mujahideen (it did not create the Mujahideen). The Taliban (and if I'm not mistaken Osama bin Laden) were one of many groups within the Mujahideen. After the Russians were driven out, aided by Pakistan, the Taliban waged a war against their previous allies and took power. And yes. Many Afghans fled the country. As for western governments not listening to Gaddafi, it seems to me that the real problem was the Libyan people had stopped listening to him. Or have you also bought into the idea that the uprising against him was simply a wicked plot by the evil democratic nations of west (aided by those pesky Jews). Obviously, being a reactionary, we know who's side you would have taken. But western governments were faced with a choice. Do they support Gaddafi (a vicious and perverted despot that had armed and supported terrorism against the west)? Close their boarders and look the other way? Or actively support an uprising against him. In the event they chose the third option. And unless you can make the argument that the war against Gaddafi would have ended on the very day he died anyway, the West's actions shortened the war. In fact, if the west hadn't have gotten involved, one of three things would have happened. 1) The rebels would have eventually won out. 2) Gaddafi would have eventually won out. Or 3) Like Syria, the war would still be going on. Either way, Libya would be in a worse state than it is today.
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  588. +Katie Actually he is right. You clearly know fuck all about the middle east if you think it was stable when Saddam, Gaddafi, and all those other bloodthirsty despots were in charge. You also ignore the fact that when it comes to Syria, Libya, Egypt, and Tunisia, it was the people of those countries that decided it was time for their dictators to go. So to say they brought stability is as stupid as saying a boat floats. Right up until it sinks. When it comes to Assad, he could have stepped down and none of this would have happened. But he decided to fight until the last drop of blood (not his own blood obviously). Had the world stood as one against him, Syria might be like Tunisia. But unfortunately for the Syrian people Assad has Russian support. And Putin couldn't care less about freedom and democracy in Russia. Let alone Syria. He desperately wants to keep hold of his Mediterranean navel bases on Syria's coast. So he just keeps on selling attack helicopters, missiles, and bombs. And even joins in with indiscriminate bombing himself. As for ISIS, Putin is far more interested in attacking the Free Syrian Army. What do you think that Russian jet shot down by the Turks was doing near the Turkish boarder? They weren't bombing ISIS. They were bombing Turkmen tribesmen. Putin and his bloodthirsty puppet Assad want to knock the FSA out of the war. To force the west to chose between ISIS and Assad. But until Assad is gone, there will never be peace. So compared to Syria, Libya is a haven of tranquillity.
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  751. +Mustafa Ibrahim After the attacks on 9/11. The Taliban refused to hand over Osama bin Laden. Many people believed it would have been justified to flatten an already desolate country from the air. However, the theory was that that wouldn't the solve the problem. That the only way for Afghanistan to be stable was to remove the Taliban and build some sort of democratically accountable government there. Western aid agencies warned that if an invasion where to take place, many thousands would flee the country. You know what happened? Once the Taliban were removed from power hundreds of thousands RETURNED home to Afghanistan. You mention Pakistan. Remind us which country in the region is up to its neck in supporting the Taliban forces who want to overthrow the already weak Afghan government. Remind us all were Osama bin Laden was hiding out. When you lay the blame for Syrian and Libyan refugees drowning as they flee to the west, remind us how that all started. Don't give me conspiracies. Don't talk about how these fearless and proud despots 'stood up to a bullying west'. Tell us about the Arab spring. About Tunisia where it succeeded. And about Libya. Where the fight goes on. Then compare your gutless pitiful words to those Libyans who risked everything to make a better future for their country. Because if there's one thing we know. When you go up against someone like Gaddafi. You better make damn fuckin sure you win. Because otherwise, he won't only be coming after you. He'll be coming for your family. Your friends. And everyone you ever had a connection to.
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  796. +Nayden Spirdonov Trump is a symptom of the liberal left and its decades of moral relativism. They couldn't back the removal of the Saddam regime in Iraq or the fight against the taliban in Afghan. Because Bush did it. They came up with excuses as to why the west should never intervene anywhere. It was all about oil. Or Bush and Blair would just replace one dictator with another. Or some other bullshit. They could go on million man marches against Israel. But had nothing to say about Assad or Iran. They did their usual thing of playing identity politics. What right have we to impose western values and freedoms onto others? Well, the result of that is that now people are more willing to think in terms of 'them and us'. If its wrong to stand up for western values abroad (because all value systems are equal and we have no right to judge). Then the same applies at home. If we have no rights or responsibility to intervene in the 'Muslim world' because we're not part of the Muslim world, then we have no responsibility to except the Muslim world into our world. If western values are not for them, then why would we want them here?  Trouble with that theory is that it's bollox. What happens just across the Mediterranean has an effect on us. We've all seen that. We now have hundreds of thousands of people fleeing into the west from Syria. We all know what should've happened. Assad should've been removed. But, because that would be intervention in the muslim world by the meddling Imperialist West (and because if we had intervened it would most likely have been only about oil like we're told it always is by the liberal left), we did nothing. And now we have the result. There are consequences to playing identity politics. To creating a 'them and us' society. And Trump is the result. He's not responsible for it. His opponents are. And what you have just said is the logical conclusion to that. I cant argue against your general point about Islam. It needs to reform. But it won't unless we insist upon it. And do we really trust those who make excuses for it, who are willing to censor the news for it, to make that argument for us? Nope.  Nazism isn't banned in the UK. You cannot be arrested for being a Nazi. What destroyed it as an ideology is that it simply became unacceptable. No one would attempt to portray your average skinhead nazi as a victim of history. His nazism wouldn't be excused because he was poor or felt disenfranchised. He would never appear as a sexy front cover to Rolling Stone magazine. He wouldn't be a 'victim' of extremist grooming. He would just be condemned. And rightly so.   Liberal thinkers have fucked up. They have played moral equivalence so hard and fast and are so far up their own asses that they can't stand up for western liberal values.  We can look at it like this: If you had confidence that any of those refugees fleeing into the west would be automatically removed from the country if they were found to be sympathetic to ISIS or some other Islamist group, would you be slightly more willing to except refugees as a whole? But you know that they won't. It took ten years to get rid of that last big name hate preacher. And you know that once they are here, here is where they stay.    We do have an intolerant, violent, and regressive religion living amongst us. Not all Muslims are like that. But a sizable minority that would never be ignored if it were within the 'mainstream' white community are. So the problem is what to do about it. Mass deportation? Nope. Cos I don't want to live in a society that thinks that is the way. So I say we work with the moderate and secularist muslims. We stand by our principles and stop thinking in terms of them and us. Because if islam is part of our society we have a right to demand that it change. And to demand that it change now.
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  797. You've clearly bought into Assad's propaganda that the choice in Syria is between his regime. Or the Islamists. But it isn't. There are three sides fighting in Syria. Assad. ISIS. And the Free Syrian Army. And up until recently it was the FSA who were fighting against the spread of ISIS. While Assad concentrated on the FSA. You've also bought into the myth that every dictator has always put out. That their regimes bring stability. But if that was true, then why do dictatorships collapse? They collapse because dictatorships are inherently unstable. They breed corruption and oppression and sooner or later people will take them down. And when that happens, you have to pick a side. Do you back the tyrant? Do nothing? Or intervene to try and make things better? Gaddafi funded terrorism across the globe. Had he stepped aside as the regime in Tunisia did, then there would've been no war in Libya. Luckily the west intervened. Took out a perverted dictator and terrorist. And shortened the war. Otherwise it would still be going on like in Syria. And we would be seeing thousands of Libyans desperate to enter the west just as the Syrians are. As for restarting the cold war, its already started. And Hilary Clinton wasn't responsible for that. That was the ex-KGB thug in the kremlin. Islam is not equal to nazism. Do you know any muslims? Because I do. Their religion may be fucked up, but then so are most religions. And if you're from eastern Europe, then you ought to know that many people in the west felt exactly the same about you. You've always been a mess. You need dictators. You've been pointing your missiles at us since the end of the second world war. Etc. Good job we didn't listen then, yeah?
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  886. Alan Ó Cléirigh Well, obviously we had the 9 million euro Russian state bank loan to Le Pen of the French National Front Party. She repays him by supporting his invasion of Ukraine, and trying to undermine western sanctions against Moscow for it's war there. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/11515835/Russia-bought-Marine-Le-Pens-support-over-Crimea.html The list of 'observers' of Putin's 'referendum' in Crimea included Béla Kovács from the Hungarian far-right Jobbik Party, noted for its anti-Semitic and homophobic views; far-right Spanish politician Enrique Ravello; three representatives of the Flemish far right party Vlaams Belang; as well as Belgian activist Luc Michel, who began in a neo-Nazi party and now espouses National Bolshevism. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/mar/16/ukraine-crisis-crimea-referendum https://iwpr.net/global-voices/far-right-recruited-crimea-poll-observers I'd hardly call Spain an imperialist country. As for the US, UK, and France, I guess it depends on whether you believe western democracy is worthwhile. Putin certainly doesn't (he is KGB after all). The kremlin plays host to Europe's far right and far left. It suits it's zero sum game. Anything that is bad for Europe and the west in general, is good for Russia. https://www.wilsoncenter.org/sites/default/files/pc_prezi_wilsoncentre.pdf http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/german-populists-forge-deeper-ties-with-russia-a-1089562.html http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-32009360 https://imrussia.org/en/analysis/world/2500-putinism-and-the-european-far-right http://observer.com/2016/10/putins-support-for-europes-far-right-just-turned-lethal/
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  922. @Aaron Giles The EU decided to make Brexit as painful as possible, in order to stop the UK from leaving. And they used the Northern Ireland border issue to do that. Those who campaigned for remain have now gone back on their promise to respect the referendum result. With the leaders of the Lib Dems and Greens both saying that if they got to rerun the referendum, they still would not accept the result if it went against them a second time. Along with the labour party vowing to vote against any leave deal the tories put forward (and even their own deal, if they were in a position to make one), the EU doesnt see it worth their while to negotiate. Because its unlikely parliament would ever vote for any leave deal no matter what it is. So why would they bother? So we have a combination of EU high risk taking in the hope of preventing the UK from leaving, along with parliament going back on their word and voting against anything that makes Brexit possible, pushing the country towards a no deal Brexit. Pretty ironic, really. This could have been avoided if the remain campaign had recognised the referendum result as they promised they would. Thats why we put things to the vote, after all. Because they can't win. Even if they got their hoped for rerun of the referendum, and somehow won it, the remain campaign would now simply do as they did and ignore the result. Because you can't opt out of the democratic process when it goes against you, then opt in when it goes your way, and expect others not to follow your lead. I don't like throwing the word 'traitor' around. But I know a lot of people who voted leave do. And you have to admit that in some respects they have a point. Why is it that we had Blair and others from the remain campaign running off to Brussels to give advice on how best to undermine the UK's negotiations? Can you imagine that being a thing at any other time? And why is it that, having lost the vote, the remain campaign are now cheering on nationalists working to break up the UK, like, 'if I can't get my way, no one gets anything'? Many people need to be reassessing their loyalties. The democratic process? Or Brussels? You can't have both. But you are right. When this all over, everyone is gonna have to get along with everyone else. Because the world is not going to come to an end. The sky is not going to fall. And remainers will not be vindicated by saying 'I told you so' just as their longed for apocalypse descends. Life will go on.
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  951. ​ @jorgeborges7707  A Brexit with no deal is not ideal, but the idea that the UK cannot leave the EU without the EU offering a deal is ridiculous. There are many countries within the WTO that are not members of the EU, and I have heard no serious commentator claim that the WTO would sanction the UK in the event of a no deal Brexit. In no way does the GFA prevent the UK from leaving the EU. It couldn't possibly, as the only areas where the GFA was put to a referendum were the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The rest of the UK had no say. Are you really claiming that a small part of the UK and a foreign country decided the UK's membership of a political union for evermore? Even against the wishes of the electorate? As to who would be responsible for breaking the GFA in a no deal Brexit, that really depends on the demands of either side, and whether or not they are acceptable to the other. If they are not, and one side isn't prepared to compromise on their demands (such as the EU demanding the effectual splitting up of the UK), then no agreement can be made (just as if the UK were to demand the EU split to serve its own interests). Neither is the GFA enforceable through international law. Agreements between sovereign states are made and unmade all the time. There is no international body that can force a country to remain within a treaty against its will. And I really can't see many countries that would be willing to irreparably damage their relations with the UK for no reason. And I can't remember the remain campaign campaigning on the issue of leaving the EU being illegal under international law, can you? As for illegal and corrupt practices during the referendum campaign, we only have to look at the half-truths and lies, not to mention the funding from corrupt insider traders and crooks the remain campaign indulged in, and continues to indulge in, to realise that such things were far from one sided. And you can trot out your tired old mantra about it being only an advisory referendum, but parliament voted to enact the result, the government has said it will do just that, and the vast majority of MPs pledged to honour the result and were elected on the promise to make it so. Compared to that, what have you got?
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  1035.  @Altolin  ''Respecting the GFA without separating Northern Ireland from the UK is now contingent on either our remaining a full member of the EU or on us remaining a part of the EU's major institutions outside of full membership of the EU'' No, it really isn't. The GFA does not bind the UK to EU membership. It commits all sides to come to agreement to prevent a hard border. And there are a number of ways that might be achieved other than UK membership of the EU. For example, in the event of a no deal Brexit, the Irish government is already considering ways to prevent a hard border. These include conducting checks away from the border. This has already been discussed with Germany. And of course, the another way would be for Ireland to separate from the EU. Only that would be unreasonable, right? - But certainly no more unreasonable than demanding the UK split. And does it even occur to you to ask that, if the GFA bound the UK to EU membership forevermore, then by what mandate? The 1998 GFA referendum was held only in Northern Ireland. And the Republic of Ireland. The rest of the UK never got to vote. How is it then that the UK's future could have been decided by referendum in only a small part of UK and a foreign country? Hardly democratic, yes? Your problem is that you refuse to recognise that the UK has the right to leave the EU. And because it will, you believe it should be justly punished (by someone) as a result. And you see the separation of the UK as part of that punishment. This infantile thinking is much like a child breaking something because, if he can't have it, then no one can. Only the UK won't come to an end simply because you didn't get your way. You might not like it, but life goes on, mate.
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  1063. ​ @mrid5850  However, when push comes to shove, the EU will ultimately have to disregard the GFA in order to protect the single market This will put the republic of Ireland in a very difficult situation, as it is a signatory to the Good Friday Agreement. I do not believe the Republic of Ireland should conform to UK regulations. Or that it should ever be expected to. I think that is a ridiculous idea. I mentioned it in order to draw a parallel in regards to the ridiculousness of the EU's demands of the UK. Which are essentially the same. The Irish border issue is not one of standards. As countries in and out of the EU trade with other countries all the time and have always done so. It is about how to enforce those standards specifically in regards to Ireland. Where both the UK and the Republic of Ireland signed the Good Friday Agreement that prevents a hard border in Ireland. The EU claim the only way to get round this problem is to separate Northern Ireland from the rest of the UK. But this is basically just an attempt by Brussels to make Brexit as unpalatable as possible in the hope that the UK will not leave the EU. In other words, Brussels wants the UK to believe it will never agree to anything less than essentially 'annexing' Northern Ireland in return for Brexit. But the truth is that there are alternatives to either side demanding the effective annexation of the other in order to solve this issue. And the UK government has put forward one such alternative. And it is basically the same as how the UK plans to deal with the issue in the event of a no deal Brexit. In fact, the EU itself has already looked into it, and very likely intends to implement it themselves if the UK leaves with no deal. But they cannot admit this. Because Brussels is hoping to stop Brexit. Even with the GFA, there is smuggling between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. I am thinking specifically of fuel and cigarette smuggling. Which cost the taxman hundreds of millions. Clearly then, the customs union does not eradicate the need for customs control in Ireland. And customs authorities on both sides already deal with the issue away from the border. Which is the UK's solution after Brexit.
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  1094.  @usxnews1834  A Cambridge University study of 2012 concluded that the best indicator to whether or not young people get involved in crime is personal morality and responsibility. Carried out by the Cambridge institute of criminology, the study focused on both social environments and personal characteristics of 700 youngsters. And found that '...The bulk of offences were committed by a small group - with around 4% responsible for almost half the crime and the overwhelming majority of the most serious property crimes - such as burglaries, robberies and car theft' This, I believe, has been shown to be the case in many other such studies. It is a small percentage committing most of the crime. And very often if left unchecked that small percentage can literally bring a whole area down with it. Which shows the importance of policing. Of course. The study also found that the idea that young people will inevitably commit crime in certain environments is not the case. Instead, this applied only to the ‘crime-prone’ (the 4%). Therefore the best way to prevent crime was to 'focus on developing policies that affect children and young people’s moral education and cognitive nurturing - which aids the development of greater self-control - and policies that help minimise the emergence of moral contexts conducive to crime' (so obvious). In other words, it is individual morality that determines whether someone is prone to committing crime, rather than environmental. It is not understood how this is effected by social disadvantage (however that is defined). But I would suggest that a culture that promotes and glorifies violence and criminality is certainly not favourable to that. So it is more complicated than simply stating that poverty is responsible for crime, as, of course, poverty is a relative term. And there is inequality in all aspects of life. Not just wealth. And that will always be the case.
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