Brexit, for once some facts.

[guerney]

No they are not weapons, since accepting them is entirely up to the recipients. They are acceptable political actions to achieve their ends, no different from what we do with aid and help in emergencies.
.

But the recipients are poor countries who don't have much of a choice, who's leaderships are by and large corrupt and easily bought, therefore it's leverage used to gain power and influence, just as weapons are.

 

[guerney]

...and it's not just poor countries either - a friend of mine hired an old bingo hall to turn into a music venue, and it's owned by a mysterious Chinese woman through some shell company - she owns rather a lot of large derelict properties, a great number of high value buildings in the UK are owned by Chinese people who reside in mainland China. If there is ever open conflict with China, leverage such as debt and property will overtly become weapons.

 

[guerney]

No they are not weapons, since accepting them is entirely up to the recipients. They are acceptable political actions to achieve their ends, no different from what we do with aid and help in emergencies.
.

But I don't wish to annoy you Flecc, vfr400 appears to have disappeared, having had some sort of discussion on another thread.

 

[guerney]

There are some unhappy people in China, such as the Uyghurs who are Muslims who have refused to democratically co-operate and often rebelled. If they want to live under a different society, the answer is simple since China allows anyone to emigrate.

Russia in the 18th and 19th centuries faced a similar problem with the Muslim Tartars, so the Tartars solve the problem by emigrating to Islamic countries.

In truly democratic countries minorities have to concede to the majority, or get out.
.

They can't get out of the camps.

 

[guerney]

And as for "top down", President Xi Jinping as a teenager was living with his poor family in a cave. That demonstrably is a democracy that really works, not like our one that favours those born with a silver spoon in their mouth, such as Boris Johnson and Keir Starmer.

What I meant was... they can make decisions at the top which can ride roughshod over red tape. In that sense, it's more of a monarchy, so what if he lived in a cave? It's where he is now that counts, and what he does. I can't stand the silver spooners either, they really are "The useless class".

 

[guerney]

And bean sprouts!!!
.

Do you own a silk Kimono? Sorry, that's Japan...

 

[guerney]

Because they are being very silly.

Hong Kong, Taiwan and Tibet are parts of China and have been for countless centuries,

But do they want to be now?

 

[guerney]

We know their intentions since they are very honest about them. They have clearly stated they want the world to become communist, but have chosen a different path to do it through strength. Basically through hearts and minds via employing economic strength. There's no doubt their revised form of democratic communism has been successful.

They were an abject failure, as all communist countries ultimately become, till their "Revised" version - and they are slipping back, now that they have more resources to pursue their core communism mission with. It'll go back and forth every few decades and they will become more and more powerful as it does, as long as their enviable economic strength continues underpinned by production and the sale of goods to a West which is increasingly dependant on debt and bounty from magic money trees. Maybe it's time I acquired a taste for stir-frys and learned Chinese...

 

[Zlatan]

Sorry, I'm retired.
.

As both myself and OG are.

 

[Zlatan]

They were an abject failure, as all communist countries ultimately become, till their "Revised" version - and they are slipping back, now that they have more resources to pursue their core communism mission with. It'll go back and forth every few decades and they will become more and more powerful as it does, as long as their enviable economic strength continues underpinned by production and the sale of goods to a West which is increasingly dependant on debt and bounty from magic money trees. Maybe it's time I acquired a taste for stir-frys and learned Chinese...

Get on Awibaba, the Chinese rook favowably on anyone who buys from Awibaba or Awiexpwess..
Its a bwirriant site..

 

[guerney]

Get on Awibaba, the Chinese rook favowably on anyone who buys from Awibaba or Awiexpress..

The Chinese look upon Westerners with mistrust - "It's those round eyes... you never know what they're thinking..."

 

[guerney]

As both myself and OG are.

Well that's all the top talent benched! What did people do before this relatively new concept of "Retirement" anyway? I suppose they simply did less of what they did before?

 

[flecc]

But I don't wish to annoy you Flecc, vfr400 appears to have disappeared, having had some sort of discussion on another thread.

Don't worry, I don't get upset because I'm always content for others to be wrong.

VFR 400 under two different forum names has left in a huff at least three times before, since he first joined in October 2010. Like Arnie, he'll be back.
.

 

[flecc]

What did people do before this relatively new concept of "Retirement" anyway?

They died.
.

 

[Zlatan]

The Chinese look upon Westerners with mistrust - "It's those round eyes... you never know what they're thinking..."

I, m OK, my optician assures me my eyes are anything but round.

 

[oldgroaner]

This is wonderful
"

A C Grayling #FBPE 3.5% #Reform #Rejoin #FBPA @acgrayling
· 11h
"The government is preparing to launch a Brexit helpline for British businesses and has awarded the contract for providing the service to an Indian company" @thetimes

 

[Danidl]

The Chinese look upon Westerners with mistrust - "It's those round eyes... you never know what they're thinking..."

Circular reasoning!.

 

[oldgroaner]

They died.
.

My next door neighbour (now passed away) worked all his life in the Companies Iron Foundry
When he retired at age 65 they threw a big party in his honour
He was the first to have survived to the retirement age having worked in those conditions for at least 20 years
The average Foundry worker's life expectancy was mid 50's if you were lucky, and there were worse companies to work for in the city

 

[flecc]

My next door neighbour (now passed away) worked all his life in the Companies Iron Foundry
When he retired at age 65 they threw a big party in his honour
He was the first to have survived to the retirement age having worked in those conditions for at least 20 years
The average Foundry worker's life expectancy was mid 50's if you were lucky, and there were worse companies to work for in the city

A distribution depot I started managing in 1974 had 14 staff, 11 of them men and four of them approaching 65 and retirement,

Two were diagnosed with cancer early in their final year of work, one dying five months before his 65th birthday, the other dying one month short. A third one was diagnosed with prostate cancer in the run up to retirement and died only two months after retiring. The fourth died a natural death only six months after retiring.

There were so many stories like ours a few years ago, and sadly there are parts of the country where there still are. We still have a long way to go in health, employment and welfare to stop this premature loss.
,

 

[Danidl]

My next door neighbour (now passed away) worked all his life in the Companies Iron Foundry
When he retired at age 65 they threw a big party in his honour
He was the first to have survived to the retirement age having worked in those conditions for at least 20 years
The average Foundry worker's life expectancy was mid 50's if you were lucky, and there were worse companies to work for in the city

A couple of years before I choose to retire, I ran the retirement do for a colleague ..a mechanical engineering /Draftsman ..very well respected individual then aged 65. He had worked in Coventry in the Car industry. During the course of the evening he confided in me how much it meant to him....He was the first of his family to live till retirement