UK general election

[brocktonblockbust]

Banning unpaid internships is ridiculous. They are UNPAID. YOu are effectively saying someone cannot work for free in order to get some exposure and experience. There Miles...... companies should consider the possibility of work-from-home internship options. The biggest barriers to any unpaid internship are without a doubt (unless you live in the frikkin sticks) rent and transport costs, but many of an intern’s responsibilities could be done from home. Research, website-updating, proof-reading and report-writing need just the internet and a desk, and perhaps one single solitary freaking day at the office.

Back to the topic of slavery. Unpaid internship is effectively slavery. At least have the decency to pay them something for the time they are giving and throw in a free sandwich for lunch. Talk about a free lunch.

You tell 'em Corbyn. Enough of this neo liberal lunacy. Time to double the wages for the toilet cleaner and half the wages for the executive. If they don't like it they can do what I did. Leave.

that is obvious, that people should be paid, but one of the issues raised in the OP was AGAINST unpaid internships NOT BCUZ PEOPLE SHOULD BE PAID (which we all agree they should be) but because it would benefit the priviledged: I disagree wiht THAT reason because guess what?.....Balancing a paid job and an unpaid internship is a life lesson. Suck it up. If you're going to take on an internship AND support yourself, then you're going to have to find a paying job, too. And balance them both. Does it suck? You betcha. But it's also a lesson that you're better off learning earlier than later. Hard work (often) pays off.

[Gandalf]

Banning unpaid internships is ridiculous. They are UNPAID. YOu are effectively saying someone cannot work for free in order to get some exposure and experience. There Miles...... companies should consider the possibility of work-from-home internship options. The biggest barriers to any unpaid internship are without a doubt (unless you live in the frikkin sticks) rent and transport costs, but many of an intern’s responsibilities could be done from home. Research, website-updating, proof-reading and report-writing need just the internet and a desk, and perhaps one single solitary freaking day at the office.

Back to the topic of slavery. Unpaid internship is effectively slavery. At least have the decency to pay them something for the time they are giving and throw in a free sandwich for lunch. Talk about a free lunch.

You tell 'em Corbyn. Enough of this neo liberal lunacy. Time to double the wages for the toilet cleaner and half the wages for the executive. If they don't like it they can do what I did. Leave.

that is obvious, that people should be paid, but one of the issues raised in the OP was AGAINST unpaid internships NOT BCUZ PEOPLE SHOULD BE PAID (which we all agree they should be) but because it would benefit the priviledged: I disagree wiht THAT reason because guess what?.....Balancing a paid job and an unpaid internship is a life lesson. Suck it up. If you're going to take on an internship AND support yourself, then you're going to have to find a paying job, too. And balance them both. Does it suck? You betcha. But it's also a lesson that you're better off learning earlier than later. Hard work (often) pays off.

Tell that to the millions either not being paid or not being paid enough to live on. Hard work often isn't enough. I remember working 12 hour days and then every year get told the pay rise was less than inflation because shareholders were more important, that we were not allowed to have a union, that our contract hours were kept to a minimum so they didn't have to pay much on vacation periods, that company pensions were being abolished. Those were some of the reasons I gave up on the UK and by all accounts it has become far more vicious. Zero hours contracts, less job security, harder to form unions, great inequality, just awful. Working hard more often than not does not pay off. If wages go down over a decade you end up working harder just to stay the same or more likely fall behind. Yet the elite have doubled their wealth in the same time. You seem to support this status quo, Trump certainly does in wanting to reduce taxes for the rich.

Corbyn represents the first serious challenge to this nonsense in decades and people have every opportunity to get the wax out of their ears and see sense. The UK under May will be visionless, all they know how to do is tighten the screws. They will destroy the NHS, they are threatening the world with nuclear war, they kneel at the altar of finance. The people exist only to be extracted and used.

[Master]

The local elections have not gone well for Labour. They are mostly the shire areas which are Tories but the UKIP votes have gone their way and Labour have lost some councils.

We are screwed.

[Gandalf]

The local elections have not gone well for Labour. They are mostly the shire areas which are Tories but the UKIP votes have gone their way and Labour have lost some councils.

We are screwed.

Yes, I was trying to stay buoyant, but it has depressed me. I think I am realising that the strategy of destroying Corbyn through the media, the constant Labour leadership challenges and dividing the country through Brexit have been clever ones. It is all very obvious and calculated when you think about it. I was hoping people would see through it all and look within, but seemingly not. How can Labour be so far down in the polls? It doesn't make any sense. I see some in the alternative media are just saying 'Spoil you ballot paper'. Well how is that going to prove or do anything? I guess they buy into the Corbyn is a Commie oddball narrative too. Divide and conquer to the nth degree.

[X]

Mate, instead of blaming some media conspiracy, a secret inner cabal of traitors within the Labour Party (ironically, a Fifth Column on non-communists ) or some enormously complex plot to divide and conquer the 'people' by leaving Europe ...... can't you see that the labour vote is being utterly wiped out because people think they are a bunch of useless unelectable tossers!

Diane Abbot appears to be unable to walk and chew at the same time, she seems pretty thick with little grasp of her own policies.

Ive said for a while that Corbyn's rather infantile policies are likely to bankrupt the country. 4 new bank holidays .... they think the people are so stupid that that would be some sort of vote winner, for fucks sake!

People should respect the electorate, just because people don't agree with your own views that doesn't de facto make every single one of them wrong, stupid or hoodwinked.

I believe that a strong Opposition is critical in holding any government to account, and to provide checks and balances against ideological extremism ...... but it is completely Corbyns fault that the Tories are winning all those seats. It's his fault that the Labour Party are in a complete shambles, and it's his fault that it has been taken over by a smallish group of far left totalitarians who have likely made them unelectable for a generation.

If he really was voted in by such an overwhelming margin to be the Leader of the party, where the hell are all those votes!

An effectively One Party country is never a good thing, it's Labour and Corbyn's fault that we seem to be going that way. I'm not a labour supporter any more, but I'm genuinely angry with them for their clueless incompetence.

[Master]

X is right, we are out of touch and are the minority.

We have to wait for Siddique Khan after he gives up being mayor of London.

[Master]

It is outrageous that cunt Osborne can get a six figure amount from city firm, a job at newspaper and tried to stay on as an MP. All work hand in hand to keep their rich boy happy. That is unjust, corrupt and unfair.

[Beanz]

Mate, instead of blaming some media conspiracy, a secret inner cabal of traitors within the Labour Party (ironically, a Fifth Column on non-communists ) or some enormously complex plot to divide and conquer the 'people' by leaving Europe ...... can't you see that the labour vote is being utterly wiped out because people think they are a bunch of useless unelectable tossers!

Diane Abbot appears to be unable to walk and chew at the same time, she seems pretty thick with little grasp of her own policies.

Ive said for a while that Corbyn's rather infantile policies are likely to bankrupt the country. 4 new bank holidays .... they think the people are so stupid that that would be some sort of vote winner, for fucks sake!

People should respect the electorate, just because people don't agree with your own views that doesn't de facto make every single one of them wrong, stupid or hoodwinked.

I believe that a strong Opposition is critical in holding any government to account, and to provide checks and balances against ideological extremism ...... but it is completely Corbyns fault that the Tories are winning all those seats. It's his fault that the Labour Party are in a complete shambles, and it's his fault that it has been taken over by a smallish group of far left totalitarians who have likely made them unelectable for a generation.

If he really was voted in by such an overwhelming margin to be the Leader of the party, where the hell are all those votes!

An effectively One Party country is never a good thing, it's Labour and Corbyn's fault that we seem to be going that way. I'm not a labour supporter any more, but I'm genuinely angry with them for their clueless incompetence.

You are also in denial if you will not even acknowledge the growing influence of a right wing invested media in concentrating on personalities rather than policies. It is no coincidence that Osborne has left to become an editor or that the Tories have the ready ear of most of Fleet Street to whisper into. In fact it has become the right wing press dictating policy for a long time now at which the Conservatives cannot wait to jump.

Of all the policies to focus on why on earth would you be so bothered about extra bank holidays? You are on the one hand insisting that people should respect the electorate whilst chiding the elected leader of the Labour party. If he does not represent you, don't vote for him. When Blair led Labour into swallowing right wing rhetoric and throwing his weight behind the multinational corporate war machine then i made sure i did not vote for him. Many of the old Labour supporters, pre 'New Democrat aping Labour tory light Labour' and the new younger voters do not think Corbyn is unelectable. That is clearly bullshit when the guy has been elected leader of a major political party. Doesn't wash mate, you can speak for yourself but the General election is quite different to local elections as we shall see.

[X]

I'm sure that I am probably in denial about some things - it's human nature to more readily hear things we already agree with. Just look at some of the posts that are all over this forum

Actually, I agree with you about the growing influence of right wing media, especially through non-conventional channels such as social media, vlogs and new Facebook groups. They drown out discerning thought by shouting loudly, making up falsehoods and lies, normalising hate crime and reprogramming the way people's brains work (its true, there is hard scientific evidence of this phenomenon) to dehumanise anybody who thinks differently.

We see this bleeding into mainstream politics. Trump successfully harnessed this to help him win an election IMO, and Le Pen is trying it in France as we speak.

Incidentally, you spoke about the lack of proper debate on another thread. I totally agree. Shouting loudly, not answering the question, not engaging in the debate, regurgitating some poorly researched 'facts', insulting and blaming somebody defenceless now seeems to be the accepted norm .... and I despise it.

I mentioned the Bank Holiday thing because I remember feeling vaguely insulted by it. No other reason. I think I commented on one of your other posts about Labour's policies that they were all fairly admirable but would all cost a hell of a lot of money, and I couldn't see in their manifesto where all that money would come from. Sure, there was talk of closing off tax loopholes, catching dodging multinationals etc but there was little granularity in the numbers. My reaction was "show me the money"!

I sort of take your point about my seeming inconsistency in preaching respect for the electorate, but then chiding the elected leader of Labour ... but I was insinuating that I felt his landslide victory was a bit fishy (and there were unproven allegations about that at the time). I accept I might be in denial, but there isn't much evidence of that massive support today?

I would also usually expect the Opposition to be more successful in local elections, that's the lesson that history teaches us. Incumbent governments sometimes do badly in local elections as the electorate gives them a rap on the knuckles and demands they stand up straighter and do what they promised. I didn't expect the conservatives to muller labour so much.

This is not not good news for Labour just before a General Election, though of course it will probably maximise the Labour turnout in 5 weeks.

I wouldn't pretend to know you, or categorise your politics, but on the evidence of seeing a lot of your posts for quite a long time I think you and I probably have different outlooks and ideologies - politically, anyway.

I still maintain that Corbyn has been a disaster for Labour, and that they have singularly failed to present a compelling vision or message to the electorate.

Ive always respected your consistency though, and also your right to have an opposing view to me!! I haven't ever shouted you down ......... at least we both like boxing 👍🏼

[Beanz]

Brockton you voted for an openly corrupt power crazed vacuous embolism of a man, so you absolutely have bought into the system as much as Miles has by buying Alex Jones magic food and thinking Assange,Putin and RT are beacons of democracy.

[Beanz]

Banning unpaid internships is ridiculous. They are UNPAID. YOu are effectively saying someone cannot work for free in order to get some exposure and experience. There Miles...... companies should consider the possibility of work-from-home internship options. The biggest barriers to any unpaid internship are without a doubt (unless you live in the frikkin sticks) rent and transport costs, but many of an intern’s responsibilities could be done from home. Research, website-updating, proof-reading and report-writing need just the internet and a desk, and perhaps one single solitary freaking day at the office.

Back to the topic of slavery. Unpaid internship is effectively slavery. At least have the decency to pay them something for the time they are giving and throw in a free sandwich for lunch. Talk about a free lunch.

You tell 'em Corbyn. Enough of this neo liberal lunacy. Time to double the wages for the toilet cleaner and half the wages for the executive. If they don't like it they can do what I did. Leave.

that is obvious, that people should be paid, but one of the issues raised in the OP was AGAINST unpaid internships NOT BCUZ PEOPLE SHOULD BE PAID (which we all agree they should be) but because it would benefit the priviledged: I disagree wiht THAT reason because guess what?.....Balancing a paid job and an unpaid internship is a life lesson. Suck it up. If you're going to take on an internship AND support yourself, then you're going to have to find a paying job, too. And balance them both. Does it suck? You betcha. But it's also a lesson that you're better off learning earlier than later. Hard work (often) pays off.

The trouble with internships is that they unfairly favour the rich and privileged. You seem eager despite not being rich yourself to want to carry on the entrenchment of this defunct value system and are mixing it up with aspiration and personall advancement. It is very easy to be an intern at Daddies firm when he gives you an allowance and a range rover and a flat in Mayfair. It is another mater entirely when you have to pay your own rent, have no living parents and have to rely on public transport. You know this but choose to ignore it in order to side with people who would willingly read on you like something distasteful on the pavement. Trump is not your friend and countries should not be run like companies with nepotism at the top.